Help Choosing a Home Defense Handgun

What are the triggers on the L frames like compared to the J and K frames?

I agree with pelo801 that a shotgun is a great home defense choice. I'm not comfortable with having a quickly accessible shotgun in the house right now.
 
870 pump, plain jane laminate wood one from any of your local gun stores. Read some threads and pick your buckshot... toss it in the corner and sleep a little better tonight :D
 
What are the triggers on the L frames like compared to the J and K frames?
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The K, L, and N frames will all have very similar trigger pulls because they all use the same springs. J-Frames, on the other hand use heavier coil mainsprings (the larger S&W's use leaf mainsprings) because they are necessary to ensure reliable ignition of primers with the J-Frames' smaller, lighter hammers. The K and L Frame gripframes fit the hands of most people well while the N Frame gripframe is sometimes a bit too large for people with smaller hands.
 
Listen to Web...

Webley's right on the $...

Glocks and a few other striker fired pistols are great in many ways but NOT for a casual or entry level handgunner.
A HK/LEM, a PX4(C model) or a SIG Sauer DAK offer smooth, safe hammer fired methods. The designs are part of the reason why these brands get selected by LE agencies or armed security services.
 
My wife is all about a revolver. This weekend, late Saturday night, the dog started acting strange and running around the house. I have a broken leg and ankle and am not very mobile. I had my Kimber compact handy but she had to have a revolver as she was going to take the dog out. The reason simplicity. Is it loaded yes and thus ready to shoot. No racking the slide, or lever ot depress or safety to worry about. She went upstairs to grap the Ruger SP101 (3").

I have taught her how to shoot most of my guns, but the SP in stoked with 38's is her favorite. Last trip to the farm she tried my K frame S&W (6"). Yes it has a sweet DA trigger but it was big for her. The factory SP grip was just right.
 
My wife had a similar problem with her Ruger SP101 .357 mag (loaded with .38spl +P's). The gun is DAO with a very heavy trigger.


I ordered a 10 pound mainspring from Wolff and stoned the surfaces as well as polished them with Flitz. It made a HUGE difference and now she can run the gun just fine.


Now she prefers Hi Powers and 1911's to her revolver, but it still keeps her company on her nighstand.


Edit: 8shot357, you need to squeeze one to understand it. The LCR stock trigger reminds me of a heavily 'smithed target S&W trigger. I REALLY wish Ruger would put them in all of their wheel guns. Absolutely fantastic.
 
Edit: 8shot357, you need to squeeze one to understand it. The LCR stock trigger reminds me of a heavily 'smithed target S&W trigger. I REALLY wish Ruger would put them in all of their wheel guns. Absolutely fantastic.
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I'm happy with my S&W 638, and see no reason to replace it, I also own a few S&W PC revolvers that have nice DA trigger pull's, but I'm looking forward to trying out a LCR for comparison factors.

Thanks for answering

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Here are a few I recommend for her to try...

Glock 19
Glock 26
S&W M&P9c
Ruger SR9c
Springfield Amory XD9 compact


Any of these would serve her just fine.
 
I'm interested in a Judge or maybe one of the new S&W Governors but there seems to be a lot of debate regarding using 410 for home defense. What is your opinion? I'm concerned about recoil and muzzle flash also.
 
What is the worst weapon a perp would consider a woman pointing at him? In a lot of situations the deterrent factor is very important. Since this is a home weapon- not to be carried, I would opt for a 6" or longer barrel on a double action revolver and tell your wife to cock the hammer for the first shot. With after market springs and an action job, the DA trigger pull might get down to around 5 lbs.
 
Here's my home defense lineup. The Mossberg 590 gets the call first with it's 9-round capacity and even a woman can shoot it. Reliability + Stopping Power + Ease of Use


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Mossberg.jpg
 
Home defense

My wife and I both have SW 340 as carry guns. I have the MP she the PD model. Our home defense handguns are a 3 inch barrel and a 4 inch barrel SW 686. The 3 inch barrel is my favorite and my wife likes it too. She has used both but is partial to the 3 inch barrel.

Good luck
 
I used a GP 100 for this purpose although the best HD gun is a shotgun. I keep a 12 ga. Benelli with 00 buckshot under my bed but given the tight space in my house, I'd probably grab the .357 as it is easier to maneuver
 
Women who aren't shooters usually have trouble with semi-automatics. They don't understand how the slide and magazine work. Revolvers, on the other hand, are intuitive. I'd recommend a Ruger GP100 with a short barrel, or the equivalent S&W. Make sure she can work the trigger and she is set.

My $.02.
 
Used Glock. 9mm or 40 should be fine. Either that or the equivalent S&W or Springfield tupperware. If the wife is recoil shy, I'd definitely suggest 9mm. I'm partial.
 
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